Oakland Raiders tight end Lee Smith gave an impassioned defense of quarterback Derek Carr on Wednesday.
Smith addressed a report that suggested Carr would struggle to lead the Raiders moving forward after the quarterback supposedly began crying following an arm injury. The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson, who wrote the article, called Carr’s relationship with his teammates “fractured.”
Smith thinks that sort of talk is ridiculous and said so to the media.
"All of these reports about this locker room being fractured with Derek Carr is the most obnoxious and ridiculous thing I've heard ever."
An impassioned Lee Smith comes to the defense of Derek Carr after reports surface that Carr could be losing the locker room. #Raiders pic.twitter.com/67ewQdSIo6
— Chris Booker (@Bookerc94) October 24, 2018
“All these reports about this locker room being fractured with Derek Carr is the most obnoxious and ridiculous thing that I’ve heard ever,” Smith said. “It’s comical and laughable that I’m even sitting here talking about it. Us as players have zero issue with Derek Carr. He’s our leader, he’s always been our leader. We put a ‘C’ on his chest for a reason. Attacking his character as a teammate is a joke.”
Smith also suggested the comments came from outside the team’s locker room.
The drama surrounding the Raiders this season has been excessive. They began the offseason by playing hardball with Khalil Mack and ultimately trading the former Defensive Player of the Year. They’ve gotten off to a terrible start, began benching players, have Marshawn Lynch injured, and now they’re stripping down their team and trading players. They’re a team that is rebuilding. There will be immense pressure on the new regime to nail next year’s draft.
